Snip Snip Away

From ancient times to this modern day and age, the constant transformation of fashion and trend never ceases… however, always going around that 360 degree turn... or return. Rummaging through our parents’ old stuff would usually find us some vintage treasures that when worn would look cool and hip today. But somehow this cycle does not seem to apply to hair styles, eh? Who would now go around sporting a long hair tied up in a bun that is so distinctive to the men in many old Chinese dynasties? How about the long, shiny, straight Beatles look? Or Elvis Presley’s complete with sideburns? What were they thinking? Shivers!

Women have since the beginning been more conscious of their style and look than the male counterpart. It is only lately that men have revolutionised themselves and started adopting similar kind of care and consciousness towards their appearances. Men are now using hair wax, leave-on conditioner; they’ve started colouring their hair, wearing them long, perming and even braiding. Gone are the Ming dynasty and medieval looks, but oh helloooo the short spike, sleek back, soft curls, etc. More and more salons catering to men have popped up, even charging cutting and styling fees comparable to women cuts. Outrageous! Harharhar! Anyway, before the rambling really gets out of place, I must say that this entry is not going to lead to any profound conclusions, no deep thoughts or insights are going to be said, no research has been conducted or books read for review, just a stream of spontaneous writing, and sharing of an amateur’s (me) work on someone’s (him!) crown. Have a look.

That was Monday afternoon's project. The participant - Mr A is holding Mr M (compare and contrast the two's hairdo). I have two hairdressing scissors, brand new, never been used, sitting inside the cupboard itching to get out of its wrappings. The brave soul that Mr A is... was willing enough (or made willing) to be the first client. Looking at how professionals do it, the art seem quite straight-forward and simple. Especially for men's hair. Just gather the hair where it is long and cut away, do this consistently for all parts and in no time, you'll have a shorter version of their former style. What a fool to think that! One thing I've learned is to cut the hair against the direction of growth; cutting horizontally would be a disaster as the cuts will be obvious and we don't want that. Cutting Mr A's hair is also a build-up of confidence, the more I go along the more comfortable I felt trimming his hair; and the more I go along the more at ease he became as well... as a result even dosing off and waking up to a new 'do! *Uh-oh... too late to change your mind now, eh?* We didn't exactly achieve the Brad Pitt look... no serious spunky spikes; but we've settled for George Clooney's short crown. Simple, easy to maintain, with a teeny bit of a hiccup here and there, but still ok.